Les Carroz d'Araches in the Grand Massif

Tag Archives: Col de Tricot

This is a follow of my my previous post which described a day walk doing half of stage 1 from Les Houches to Col de Tricot and return to Les Houches. The route here is also the alternative TMB stage 1 route from Les Contamines to Col de Tricot which effectively completes the Tour of Mnt Blanc stage 1.

The route is approximately 15 km and suited for a day walk. I started the route at the Espace Animation in Les Contamines (1167m altitude) as there is readily accessible parking and made my way onto the Chemin du P’tou which leads to the small hamlet of La Frasse at 1263m altitude. In La Frasse there is a public car park and a useful source of drinking water, which I used on the return leg of the journey.

Nearby is a large sign giving details of the Reserve Naturelle Contamines-Montjoie with routes and glaciers described. The green TMB signs are well placed at key locations on the climb out of La Frasse, on a 8 foot wide trail before turning right into woods; TMB signs indicate Chalets du Truc and Chalets de Miage. From La Frasse the signs said 1.5 hours to Chalets Du Truc which seemed about right.

The Auburge du Truc provides accommodation and refreshments, with magnificent views of the Domes de Miage and associated glaciers. The torrents running off the glaciers were in full flow on a hot day in July 2015. The route descends to the Chalets de Miage through a wooded area on a narrow path. The refuge du Miage provides accommodation and useful refreshments/food and is in a beautiful location in the valley with views towards the glaciers. The power of the run-off from the glaciers can be seen when crossing the small bridges. There is also eau potable available near the public toilets.

The formidable climb to the Col de Tricot (1.5 hours from Chalets de Miage) ascends to 2120 m, so a 560 m ascent on a narrow path that zig-zags up the mountain. There is no shade on this route so appropriate clothing and sunscreen is needed on a sunny day. The climb although difficult, steep and slow was not as challenging as the hike to the Chalet Du Bovet at Sixt Fer Cheval.

There is a useful landmark of a cross at the Col de Tricot and provides a very useful focus on the climb. The path is quite stony and thereby difficult if carrying heavy loads, and in a few locations small steams had wet the path making caution advisable. The glacier shed rocks and moraine become more prominent as the top is in reach.

Reaching the top feels like a well worth it challenge that has been overcome, the views are far reaching but the glacier views are better at the Chalets de Miage or on the ascnet from the valley.

The return to Chalets de Miage is equally tricky as the ascent and I was glad to have some good quality hiking poles which provided balance and stability on some of the steep parts of the path.

A cold beer and relaxation at the Chalets de Miage provide welcome relief on a very hot day (which again reached 36 C in Les Contamines) before the return leg of the hike.

I returned to Les Contamines 7.5 hours after the start, so ideal for a day hike.

As a later life challenge I decided to do the Tour of Mont Blanc (TMB) in stages, generally splitting each stage of the hike into two separate walks, so I can return to the car without having to find public transport or stay overnight in mountain accommodation.

For stage 1 from Les Houches (altitude 1007 m) to Les Contamines I planned to walk from the Les Houches tourist office, located in the centre of Les Houches with plenty of parking space available. As a guide I used the popular Cicerone book by Kev Reynolds. The signposts are excellent with the green TMB logo and GR5 detailed throughout the walk as photographed at various stages throughout the walk. The planned walk was the variant to Col de Tricot at 2120 (via Col de Voza) and back to Les Houches. (NB: the usual stage 1 walk to Les Contamines is via Bionnassay and La Champel with Col de Tricot route classed as a variant)

The climb starts near Le Grand Balcon where you have to ascend a series of wooden steps for a few hundred metres prior to the track commencing. The route to Col de Voza is well signposted and would be difficult to go wrong. At Col de Voza (1653m) is one of the stops on the Tramway du Mont Blanc cog railway that runs from La Fayet to Nid d’Aigle at 2380m. The village de vacances APAS hotel at Col de Voza was having a large extension built on the side making more rooms available. From the Tourist office to Col de Voza was about 2 hours with some great views of Aiguille du midi and the Les Houches ski pistes on the way. The climb was steep in places, but thankfully shady in many parts.

There is a cafe/restaurant on the way to Col de Voza and a pretty restaurant at Col de Voza serving the needs of those who get off the Tramway du Mont Blanc railway to enjoy the scenery and views. More importantly there is a tap saying eau potable (drinking water) which was essential for re-filling water supplies.

The trail from Col de Voza to Col de Tricot passes the Bellevue hotel and runs alongside the railway track for a while until it moves off into a narrow trail through woods.

On walking to the meadows near the Bionnassay glacier I decided to make my way back rather than climb to the Col de Tricot as it was getting late in the day and I had a couple of hours in unusually hot 25 C temperature weather to do the decent back to Les Houches. (temperature in Les Houches reached 31C on this day).

A collage of photos of signposts on the route and some of the spectacular scenery is shown below.